CHRONICLEWATCH Update / Working for a better Bay Area

Suzanne Pullen

Published 4:00 am, Sunday, February 20, 2005

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cwpajaro_003_pc.jpg FOR CHRONWATCH: Abandoned boats in Alameda :The "Pajaro-Ensenada, BC" partially sunken boat on the Alameda estuary shoreline has been an eyesore for over a year and one tipster wonders if it poses a potential hazard to the estuary. He's contacted several agencies and no one will take responsiblity for it. Alameda on 6/15/04. Also known as the Elizabeth A STAFF/The Chronicle Ran on: 08-18-2004 Ran on: 08-18-2004 Ran on: 11-08-2004 Ran on: 11-08-2004 MANDATORY CREDIT FOR PHOTOG AND S.F. CHRONICLE/ - MAGS OUT less

cwpajaro_003_pc.jpg FOR CHRONWATCH: Abandoned boats in Alameda :The "Pajaro-Ensenada, BC" partially sunken boat on the Alameda estuary shoreline has been an eyesore for over a year and one tipster wonders if it ... more

Photo: STAFF

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Mike Dillabough, San Francisco's District Chief of Operations and Readiness Division of the Army Corps of Engineers Mike Dillabough

Mike Dillabough, San Francisco's District Chief of Operations and Readiness Division of the Army Corps of Engineers Mike Dillabough

CHRONICLEWATCH Update / Working for a better Bay Area

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UPDATE

Alameda boat removal delayed: The planned removal of the Elizabeth A, an abandoned tugboat in the Alameda Estuary, has been stalled due to the discovery of unknown materials in locked bulkheads. ChronicleWatch first wrote about the drifting Elizabeth A, as well as the Captain Al sunk below it, in August after tipster Douglas Hayward complained about it as a hazard near the Park Avenue Bridge. The Elizabeth A had drifted from shore and was an obstacle to other boats trying to navigate the narrow channel. In June the Coast Guard removed more than 30,000 gallons of oily waste from the Elizabeth A, and the Army Corps of Engineers declared it a hazard to channel navigation. After several months of being unable to contact the boat's owner, the Army Corps of Engineers secured the 200-ton vessel with two 5-ton anchors and took on the job of the boat's removal. In December, when contractors boarded the Elizabeth A to prepare bid proposals, one of them discovered drums in several locked bulkheads. Army Corps of Engineers spokeswoman Cindy Fergus told us that the scope of the work had to be changed to include the cleanup of the drums, which may contain a toxic substance. New bids were submitted this week and Fergus said a contract should be awarded within a month. She added the Corps has determined that the sunken Captain Al is not a hazard and will be left where it is.

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